River Bend Times

Iowa Democrat Rita Hart is formally contesting her loss of an open U.S. House seat that she lost by six votes.

Hart filed a 176-page complaint with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Administration Committee earlier today. She argues that there are 22 ballots that weren’t included in the first tally, nor the recounts afterward. Hart wants a full recount.

Hart said it would be clear once all the votes are counted that she is the winner.

“Everyone has acknowledged that there are uncounted votes left. And after reviewing those ballots and making sure they are counted, it will be clear that I have won this election,” Hart said in a statement, Politico reported. “It is crucial to me to make sure that this bipartisan review by the U.S. House is fair.”

The House must also decide what to do about the seat on Jan. 3 — the first day Congress reconvenes — leave the seat open to investigate or allow Republican Mariannette Miller Meeks to be seated.

Hart is challenging the race under the Federal Contested Election Act. It says that a losing candidate can ask the new Congress to determine the victor of the race.

Marc Elias, a prominent  Democratic election attorney, will be representing Hart. The House Administration Committee would be able to conduct its own recounts of the votes.

"This election has been decided by Iowans. That decision should not be thrown into Washington’s hyper-partisan atmosphere," Miller-Meeks’ campaign said in a statement to Politico. "It is shameful that Rita Hart does not have faith in Iowans and does not respect the decision of Iowa voters."

The National Republican Congressional Committee has also disagreed with Hart’s move, calling it a power grab.

In her complaint, Hart lays out that there were 22 ballots that were rejected, two of which were ballots cast from vehicles because the voters had disabilities and nine of which were in Marion County that weren’t included with the initial canvas. She claims several others were unlawfully rejected and seven were improperly sealed.

“A uniform recount must be conducted to ensure that all ballots are reviewed to determine voter intent and that all lawful votes are indeed counted,” Hart’s complaint states. “A uniform recount is the only means of ensuring that the will of the voters in selecting their representative in Iowa’s Second Congressional District is not thwarted by the irregular and erroneous exclusion and rejection of lawful ballots from the recount in multiple Iowa counties.”